Hauwau Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim, the serving Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) FCET, Gusau, and Abdullahi Boyi, a lecturer with the Sokoto State College of Education, SSCE have been arraigned for alleged certificate forgery before Justice Muhammad Aliyu Sambo sitting at the Sokoto State High Court.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, charged the duo to court on a six-count charge, with charge No. SS/213c/2024.
The two defendants were said to have forged an appointment letter and subsequently used the same for application for the position of provost at the Federal College of Education (Technical) Gusau, Zamfara State.
The defendants were also accused of making false statements to the officers of the ICPC in the course of investigation which is an offence under Section 25(1) (a) and punishable under Section 25 (ii) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related offences Act 2000.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim (F) and Abdullah Boyi (M) sometimes in the year 2023 or thereabout at Sokoto within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to do an illegal act to wit: forgery of a letter of “Notification for Appointment” to the Post of Chief Lecturer on COMPCASS 14 with effect from 1st January, 2017 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 59(1) and punishable under Section 60(2) of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law,2019.”
They however pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all six charges when read to them by the court’s registrar.
Counsel for the defendants, Dr. Muhammad Mansur Aliyu and Mr. M.S Diri SAN respectively moved for applications for bail on behalf of their clients.
They requested the court to consider reasonable terms for bail citing the defendants’ “established positions and cooperation during the investigation.”
Counsel to the ICPC, Mr. Suleiman Ahmad did not oppose the bail applications.
Justice Sambo, after considering the applications, granted bail under specific conditions designed to ensure the defendants’ continued presence throughout the trial proceedings.
The bail conditions require each defendant to provide two sureties who are permanent residents of Sokoto State, with each surety signing a bond of one million naira (₦1,000,000).
Following the granting of bail, the ICPC prosecutor requested a date for trial to commence, emphasising the Commission’s preparedness to present witnesses and evidence in support of the charges. Subsequently, Justice Sambo adjourned the matter to November 21, 2024, for commencement of trial.
